Franz Kafka's The Trial follows Josef K., who is arrested and prosecuted by a mysterious, inaccessible authority for an unspecified crime. Through Josef's futile attempts to understand the charges and navigate the absurd legal system, Kafka created a nightmare vision of bureaucracy and powerlessness. The novel becomes both existential horror and political allegory, proving that Kafka understood modern alienation and that some trials are really about the impossibility of justice.

WHY WE PICKED IT: Because Kafka wrote the definitive novel about bureaucratic nightmare and the individual crushed by incomprehensible systems. This new translation reminds us that Josef K. never learns his crime, that the legal system is deliberately opaque, and that Kafka's vision of absurd authority feels increasingly relevant.

DETAILS: • Author: Franz Kafka • Publisher: Schocken Books Inc • Format: Paperback • Publication Date: May 25, 1999 • ISBN: 9780805209990 • Edition: New Translation Based on the Restored Text • Ships direct from distributor in 3–7 business days